Weekend Warrior’s Strategy for Chipping

The professional golfers seem to take a full swing at every chip to create a miracle high pitch shot with pinpoint landing accuracy. They also practice this shot with more swings than you will make in a lifetime. Because your swing is NOT perfected to the level of the pros, you need a Weekend Warrior Strategy to make more chips without the mishits.

Chipping it close is the only way to make up for missed greens and possibly make par. So why are you missing so many chips? Are you hitting them fat or sculling them over the green?  You need a method to make more chips count.

PROBLEM: How do you make perfect contact with your ball in short, intermediate and deep grass without practicing every day until the cows come home? You need to change your approach to chipping. [I learned this tip from a PGA pro but I lost the reference name and video. A chip is not a flop shot or a pitch.] It’s much easier to minimize your chipping errors by using a putting setup and swing.  Avoid a full backswing (with weight shift and wrist release). Is your Light Bulb Turning On?

Flat wrist chipping is just like a putting stroke. Rock your shoulders to create the swing and you can practice using your GOLFSTR+

SOLUTION: Use a narrow stance and rotation of your shoulders to swing as if you are putting with a flat leading wrist. You can easily chip a ball up to 30 yards (exactly the way you can putt 30 yards). Use your irons and wedges to swing with THE SAME PENDULUM PUTTING motion to chip up to 30 yards including the flight distance and roll-out on the green.  For deeper rough just put more pressure on your leading foot so that your putting stroke swings down on the back of your ball to avoid getting caught in the deep grass before the ball (Ref. GolfersRX).

 

 

Important Chipping Tips for Weekend Warriors:
A. By using a putting swing to chip, you are taking all of the wrist motion out of your swing. This will guaranty a perfect impact with the ball for every chip with more control on the direction that you choose to hit your ball.
B. With this putting swing approach, you only need to choose the right combination of lofted club for height to reach the green and the amount of shoulder rotation to create enough roll-out to reach the cup.
C. When you are within 2 feet of the green in deep rough, putt by chocking down on a hybrid.
D. When chipping from the side of a hill choose a club with reduced angle of loft to offset for the angle of the hill. Use your putting swing UP the plane of the hill (not into the hill).
E. When you are hitting under branches, estimate your launch angle to miss branches. Drop your club on the ground with the handle facing your target and stand on the club face. The angle of your club shaft off the ground shows you the trajectory of your ball flight for that club.

OK Weekend Warriors, get your GOLFSTR+ out and start practicing your chipping with a locked leading wrist. Assemble it for your putting fix. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com on the Store Page.

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2 Comments

  • Raymond CHASTEL says:

    You are just reediting the PAUL RUNYAN chipping method ,well proven and effective .
    I used it once upon a time
    I prefer much more the SEVERIANO BALLESTEROS method which I find easier to implement in mid or high grass (It was taught to me by JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL )and much more accurate (I often hole out my chips )
    In short ,hold the shaft under the grip with your fingers (Not in the palm )
    Pivot slightly in the backswing .
    Cock the wrists more or less whether you want to lift the ball high or not .
    The feel is in the fingers
    Make a short throughswing towards the target and hold .
    With this shot SEVE outclassed his BRITISH contenders at the BRITISH OPEN when he was 19 years old

  • Will Curry says:

    Thank you, Raymond, Will have to try this. You certainly had some great mentor.